Chamber of Her Secrets
by foggygoggles
Summary: AU Draco catches Ginny going into the Chamber of Secrets, where she secretly hangs out. After blackmailing her into letting him in anytime he wants, romance ensues. RR please! REWRITE.
1. Don\'t Pass Go

**"Chamber of Her Secrets"**

Chapter 1: Don't Pass Go

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Author's Note: This is a rewrite of the old verson. :

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"Thirty points from Ravenclaw and a detention for both of you," said Draco Malfoy, smirking as he rubbed his prefect badge until it gleamed in the dull light of his wand. "Now get to bed. Separately. The wizarding world doesn't need more idiots breeding."

The said idiotic couple glared at him and stalked off. Draco liked these kinds of nights; if he had to be wasting his time patrolling the castle for naughty students, he might as well humiliate a few people along the way. Grinning sharply, he continued his stroll down the corridor.

"Bloody simpletons," thought Draco, his mind still on the couple that he had just caught. "All over each other in a broom closet. A bloody broom closet! Couldn't even hold out until they got to the Astronomy Tower!" He began sneering at the dark. So preoccupied with his thoughts, he didn't notice the large puddle looming before him. He fell onto the cold, wet ground.

He had slipped on water. Disgusted, Draco picked himself up and realized he was completely soaked. Rummaging through his robes, he took out his wand and performed a simple drying spell.

"Third floor corridor," muttered Draco, shaking his head. "Should've bloody known." He was standing right outside Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Moaning Myrtle was a poor ghost who had died young and stayed in her toilet, the place of her death, ever since. She was known to be mean, wail, and flood her bathroom. Apparently, tonight was one of those nights.

His ears perked up as he heard a noise coming from inside the bathroom. "Another rule breaking student to catch," he thought gleefully, pocketing his wand. He took a step towards the door and paused. This was a girl's bathroom and Draco Malfoy was most definitely not a girl.

The thought of disgracing whomever was inside the bathroom and giving them detention spurred Draco on. He hurriedly flung open the door, lest the person somehow sneak out before him. He was greeted with the sight of a girl with a mass of red curls crouching on the floor near the sinks. As she turned her head in surprise, Draco recognized her.

"Weasley," he stated with satisfaction clearly written across his face. "Weasley, Weasley, Weasley." He had caught a Weasley! Oh, joy to the world! He made a tsk-ing noise and gave her a look over.

She was tall - around five seven. Her frame was thin and her curves were lacking in some areas, but Draco did notice she had an extremely nice arse, and made a mental note to thoroughly berate himself later for noticing. After all, nice arse or no, she was still a Weasley. Her robes were tattered and obviously secondhand and the former black color had faded gray. She had sharp cheekbones, and a small, upturned nose with a light pinch of freckles sprinkled across it. Her eyes were a deep chocolate and were currently expressing one emotion: hate.

"Malfoy," she spat, standing up to her full height. "Are you aware this is a girl's bathroom?" Ginny hoped he would be embarrassed and leave. Unfortunately, luck was not on her side.

"Are you aware you are out after curfew?" Draco smirked. He wondered what she was doing here at two in the morning.

"I'm just going to the bathroom," said Ginny promptly. "I didn't know that was a crime." She seemed a bit unsure of herself, but glared at him defiantly.

Draco had been taught to sense a lie when he was very young, and right now, his inner lie detector was going mad. "Why not use the Gryffindor bathrooms?" Draco asked, looking at his watch. "Surely they are not too crowded at two in the morning."

"I'll have you know," started Ginny. She looked to the ground and then stared him in the eye. "Parvati and Lavender are holding a girls night and using the bathroom to do each other's hair…" Twirling a lock of her bright hair, she added, "… and other things."

Draco pounced. "Terrible as that is," he drawled. "You're still out after curfew. That earns a detention." He wanted to dance when he saw the girl open her mouth in protest and snap it shut quickly. It wasn't everyday a Weasley accepted defeat, and at the feet of a Malfoy, too.

Spluttering, Weasley huffed. "Fine, Malfoy, you've caught me and given me detention. You can leave now, you know." _Please leave_, she thought desperately.

"As much as I want to get away from you filth and breathe some uncontaminated air," he replied. "I'm rather curious as to why you're _really_ here." Draco raised an eyebrow. He knew there was no 'girls night' as he had caught Brown and that oaf, Finnigan, making like rabbits in an empty classroom about an hour ago.

"I told you," said the Gryffindor, her face turning a bit red. "Lavender and Parvati are ---"

"No, Weasley, perhaps you didn't hear me correctly. I want the truth." He cut in.

"The truth is… it's none of your bloody business, Malfoy. So you can go back to your little snake pit and leave me alone."

"Two detentions for talking back to a prefect," snapped Draco. "Tell me or I'll make it three."

Crossing her arms across her chest, she glared at him with increased loathing. "Piss off."

"Alright, do it your way. Three detentions. Do you want to make it four?" replied Draco, determined to break her. For some odd twist of fate, he was really curious about the situation.

Realization dawned on her. Glaring harder, she knew he would just keep giving her detentions until she told. Having twenty detentions on her permanent record really wasn't looking to peachy.

Sighing, she said, "You have to swear to Merlin that you will never tell another soul." When he nodded, she continued, "I was going into the Chamber of Secrets."

Excitement flooded through Draco's veins. The Chamber of Secrets was a foggy part of Hogwarts history and Draco was very interested about it, especially since his second year, when someone had opened the Chamber and unleashed the monster within. "What! You mean it exists?" Narrowing his eyes, he asked, "How do _you_ know about it?"

Draco saw a series of emotions run through her eyes: grief, pain, sadness, hate, and excitement, love. "I was taken down there in my first year," she said quietly, looking to the floor. "I was also the one who opened it and… everything." She didn't know why she had told him that. She hadn't even told her best friend, Colin Creevey! The only ones who knew about her experience with the Chamber were the teachers, her family, and her brother's friends, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter. Just the thought of admitting that she was weak and allowed Voldemort to possess her terrified her.

He scoffed. "You? The Heir of Slytherin? If you're the Heir of Slytherin, then Hagrid's my great uncle!"

She was angry. It was bad enough that she _had_ opened the Chamber and she _had _set free the basilisk on innocent people, but for him to not believe her sorrow-filled tale? "I was possessed by Voldemort! I will… I'll prove it to you." _How? And why do you want to?_ Her brain said. She ignored it.

"Going to set a basilisk on me?" sneered Draco.

Her cheeks flushed and Ginny cringed. "Don't even joke about it," she said through clenched teeth. "I'll take you down there."

As a boy, Draco had read Hogwarts, A History many, many times. His favorite section had been on the Chamber of Secrets. He had researched a lot on it, but unfortunately, there wasn't very much information on the Chamber, even in his father's dark books. The chance of actually going into the Chamber jumped at him and Draco snatched it.

"Okay," he said, his face passive, his mind screaming. "Open up the Chamber, Weasley."

Running a hand through her hair, Ginny crouched down and began looking at a particular sink. She leaned in close and began speaking to the sink.

_Hold up, Malfoy, she isn't speaking. She's hissing!_ Draco thought. His eyes bulged. "You're a Parselmouth!"

Standing up and stepping back, she grabbed his sleeve and pulled his towards her. "No. I just picked it up during my first year."

Draco pulled himself out of her grasp, sneering. "Geroff me, Weasley. These are seven galleon robes and now I'm going to have to burn them to get your stink off of them."

Rolling her eyes, Ginny looked at the sink patiently. A sudden grinding noise erupted from the sink. It began to move and sank, right out of sight, leaving a large pipe exposed, big enough for a man to slide through.

"It really exists," whispered Draco, more to himself then Ginny. She nodded and tied her hair back into a ponytail.

"See you at the bottom, Malfoy!" Ginny exclaimed before jumping right down the pipe.

Draco went to go follow her down but then hesitated. Did he really want to go into the most evil of places? Who knew what kinds of creatures were down there? How many different deaths could he experience in the Chamber of Secrets? _Bugger off_, Draco thought. _If Weasley is okay, I'm okay._ Taking in a deep breath, he slipped into the pipe feet first.

The ride was exhilarating, to say the least. He felt as if he was on a long slide, covered with goop of some sort, which went on forever. At the end, he flew off and onto the ground, a pile of dust flying up above him. Sneering at Ginny, who was standing beside him, spick and span, he stood up and groaned.

"Silly of me," said Ginny, giggling. "I forgot to mention it was a bit of a dirty ride." Laughing, she took out her wand and yelled, "_Scourgify!_"

"We must be miles under the school," said Draco, picking at his robes.

"Under the lake," added Ginny. "That's why it's so.. moist in here." She began walking. "Hurry up now, we wouldn't want the great Draco Malfoy to get lost in the Chamber of Secrets, would we? Especially since no one could come and find you."

He glared and reached out to touch the slimy wall.

"Don't!" She yelped, smacking his hand. "That's some sort of pus. It will burn your fingers right off."

Snatching his hand back, he peered at her. "How big is this place?"

She shrugged. "There are a series of corridors down here; I've only explored a bit. When I'm bored, I just go rummaging through here. There's a library, full of dark arts books – bet your father would love to get a hand on them. There are a few bedrooms, all creepily furnished, and torture rooms." She shuddered. "Thumb screws and whips, Filch would have a field day down here."

"Why do you go down here?" asked Draco.

Ginny didn't answer. She kept walking and turned a corner.

"Why do you go down here?" repeated Draco.

She was silent again, and Draco gave up on asking her. He was surprised when she suddenly answered.

"Ever since first year, it's been the only place that truly feels like home." Touched by darkness, she was never the same.

They walked in silence, with only Ginny warning him about a few steps to watch out for, or a low ceiling. Finally, they came to a red drape. Ginny pulled it aside and smiled, "Welcome to the main room, which I like to call my room."

The walls were covered in posters of magical bands, Muggle bands, and people Ginny liked. The stonewall behind them was not viewable, even the slightest centimeter. Ginny had laid down a lush white carpet on the floor and it stopped a few feet away from Salazar Slytherin's large head and a pool of water surrounding it. In one corner was a large canopy bed and a matching dresser and on the other, a few tan couches, a rectangular box, and tiny square cases on a coffee table were arranged neatly. A desk was spotted in the middle right, covered with parchment and quills.

Draco was disgusted to see a large poster of Harry Potter, probably around age 10. on her wall.

"Still interested in Potter, eh?" he sneered.

"No," said Ginny, quickly. "That poster is there to remind myself of what a drooling idiot I was back then."

Draco smirked. "Yes, you're crush was just revolting. What was that poem you sent him again? _His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad, his hair is as dark as a blackboard _–"

"Shut up," said Ginny. She tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. "I must say, I never got to thank you properly for telling him I sent it and publically humiliating me."

"My pleasure," said Draco, sneering. "So, what're we doing down here?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I came down here for a swim; you, you're down here because you're an annoying, threatening prat."

"Harsh words, Weasley," he replied.

"That's me, the harsh Weasley," said Ginny. "Turn around."

Draco narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"Because I'm going to get changed!" yelled Ginny, getting fed up with this whole Malfoy crap.

He snorted. "And you honestly believe I, a full blown horny male teenager, won't take advantage of this situation and turn around?"

"It's either turn around or I'll send you a few Bat Bogeys to distract you while I'm changing," said Ginny, glaring.

"Bloody hell, no need to get touchy," said Draco. "I mean, for a Weasley, you've got an okay body. The hair's a bit too bright for me, but I guess it's personal preference for your boyfriend."

"I don't have a boyfriend," said Ginny cuttingly. "Now turn around."

Draco turned around and covered his eyes with his hands. "Wow, Weasley, you sure know how to show a bloke a good time."

She ignored him. Draco tried again to provoke her. "I mean, I've heard about you, but I guess it's not true."

Ginny rolled her eyes and tapped him on the back. "I'm done; you can turn around now."

"Bloody hell, Weasley, what'd you have to sell to get that bathing suit?" asked Draco. The bathing suit she was wearing was a dark green material, probably silk or something of the like. It looked very expensive. "Your house?"

Ginny ignored him again.

"All though that probably couldn't even get you enough money for a meal at the Leaky Cauldron," added Draco.

"Just shut it," said Ginny, biting her lip. She tiptoed to the water and waded in. "Shut it and get in."

Draco weighed his options – sit here and be bored or take a quick dip. Boredom was not his favorite activity. Draco began taking off his clothes, robes first, then shirt and pants, until he got down to his boxers. As he approached the water, he stuck a toe in and found it surprisingly warm.

"How do I know you didn't just pee in it?" asked Draco, glaring.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "You, Malfoy, are a poofer." She splashed a bit of water at him.

"Hey!" he roared. "Watch the hair!" He stepped into the water.

"A tsunami couldn't ruin that hair," remarked Ginny, grinning mischievously. "There's too much gel." With that, she splashed him again.

"Watch it, Weasley," growled Draco, protecting his lovely hair.

"Or you'll what? Set Daddy on me? Oops!" Ginny taunted. She covered her mouth with her hand. "You can't! He's in Azkaban, where he belongs." Ginny didn't know why she was taunting him – nevermind, she did. It was all the jeering at her house, her family, her looks that set her off.

Draco glared at her with stony eyes. No one mocked at a Malfoy. "Shut your bloody mouth, Weasley."

"Why?" asked Ginny, her eyes wide. "Your father's a murderer. You knew it, I knew it, and now the entire wizarding world knows it."

"At least my father isn't some Muggle-crazy scum who doesn't even have a Knut to his name," spat Draco, trying to defend himself.

She shook her head, laughing. "You've used that insult so many times before, Malfoy. It doesn't hurt that much anymore." She grinned evilly. "The world knows the Malfoy family is scum and frankly, I'm glad."

Ferociously, Draco grabbed her wrists and pulled her close to him. Ginny flinched under his hold. Hissing, he said, "Watch your pretty little mouth, Weasley, or one day, something bad will happen to you." He pushed her away, sending her flying back into the pool. "But then again, it's just one less Weasley." Turning on his heel, he fled the Chamber and out of sight.

Her heart heavy, Ginny slowly walked out of the water. She felt terribly guilty for taunting Malfoy, but kept trying to tell herself it was his own fault. Somebody had to stick him in his place.

Sighing, Ginny performed a quick drying spell on herself and pulled on her robes. Grabbing her diary from her desk, she walked over to the couch and plopped down onto it. She began to write.

"_Dear Tom,_

_Well, this was an eventful night, Tom. You certainly wouldn't believe it. Ron, Hermione, and Harry were up in the Common Room all night, making it extremely hard for me to sneak out to the Chamber. Thankfully, Hermione made them go to bed so they could rise early and start on their studies. (Ha!) Anyway, I got into the bathroom and suddenly Malfoy comes barging in. He was on Prefect patrol. I still don't know why Dumbledore made him a prefect – his family probably paid for it. He just looked at me said, "Weasley," over and over in his infuriating, snobby, obnoxious, 'I'm-Better-Than-You' voice. I wanted to hex his mouth off him, but unfortunately, I was the one with the disadvantage – being caught after hours and all. He gave me detention and then tricked me into telling him what I was doing by giving me detentions until I told. I have three, which really says something. Augh. I told him I was going into the Chamber and then the damn ferret didn't believe that I had opened it in first year! I took him down there to prove that I did and we had a swim. Things were going fine- he hadn't (meanly) teased me and I hadn't hexed him, but then I just had to open up my fat mouth and brought up his father and how he is in Azkaban. I literally told him that he was scum, his family was scum, and that the entire wizarding world hated him! It felt good, like I was giving him his 'due' or something. Serving justice and the like. I just couldn't stop myself! Now of course, I feel right guilty. No one deserves that – not even Draco Malfoy, the spawn of the devil. I should apologize but I won't. My Weasley pride won't let me, and anyway, he'd probably just say, "Oh! Did the little Weaselette think she hurt the big bad Malfoy's feelings?" or something arrogant like that. Why does he get so much joy from others pain?_

_Love,_

Ginevra"

Ginny waited a bit. "Don't write back, don't write back," she chanted in her mind. When it didn't write back, she smiled and sighed in relief. Closing her diary, she placed it on the table and closed her eyes. Before long, she had drifted off into a deep sleep.

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"Aw, come on, Gin!" exclaimed Fred, holding up a pastry to her nose.

"Just a bite!" yelled George, grinning at her. He wiggled his eyebrows and she giggled.

"We swear it won't do anything!" said Fred.

"… too bad," added George under his breath.

Ginny laughed. "For the last time – no! I don't want to be the laughing stock of Gryffindor!" Smirking, she leaned over the counter and whispered, "Gimme it; I'll sneak it onto dear Ronald's plate during dinner tonight."

George winked. "We always liked you best."

"Our favorite sister," replied Fred, walking around the counter. He gave her a big hug while messing up her hair.

"Ah! FRED! Geroff me!" squeeled Ginny, pushing her big brother away. "How would you like your favorite sister dead because you suffocated her?"

It was Saturday afternoon – a Hogsmeade weekend. Ginny had come to Hogsmeade with Luna Lovegood and Colin Creevey. The three were currently visiting Fred and George's joke shop in Hogsmeade. The shop had done so well in Diagon Alley that they had expanded into Hogsmeade and were soon going to France if Fleur Delacour's connections were good. Fleur was dating their older brother, Bill, and was just too happy to help. Luna was busy rummaging through an aisle trying to figure out how many Portable Swamps she would need to cover her entire bedroom at home. Apparently, swamps attracted Seismic Kinkyrook Cyclops and Luna just had to see one. Colin was helping her with the math.

"Speaking of Ickle Ronnikins," said Fred, wiping nonexistent dust of his robes. "Has he asked Hermione out yet?"

Ginny shook her head. "Our dear brother is a big chicken. The Gryffindors and I have started a collecting pot. Bet when Ron will ask, and if you get the date correctly, you get all the money in the pot! Seamus is sure they'll be together next week, but I bet on Halloween."

George looked at Fred and Fred nodded. He took two galleons out of his pocket and placed him on the counter. "Put us down for October 5th," he said.

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Bit specific, aren't you two?"

"Let's just say we're good guessers," replied George.

"Ah yes," said Ginny, nodding. "And your great guessing skills really came in handing on your OWLs."

"Hey!" gasped Fred. "We got each got three, little sis!"

She snorted. "Three out of nine."

"Ooh, just you wait until this May, Ginbug," said George, "That's when the hype of OWLs really gets to you."

"You've already begun studying, right, Ginny?" said a voice. Ginny turned around and came face to face with Hermione Granger, followed by Harry Potter, and last, her own brother, Ron.

"O' course she hasn't!" said Ron, shaking his head. "She's been practicing QUIDDITCH!"

"Game next fortnight!" Harry said, grinning.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Boys and their toys…"

Ginny laughed as Colin and Luna came up to the cashier. "How many are you buying, Luna?"

"Twelve," said Luna, placing them on the counter.

"That'll be one galleon, seventeen sickles, and three knuts," said Fred, pressing a button on the magical cash machine.

Luna dished out her money and peered at all the visitors. "Hello Ronald. Hello Harry," she greeted. Her eyes lingered on Harry.

"Ready to go the Three Broomsticks?" asked Hermione, wrapping her cloak around her.

"Yeah, sure," said Ginny. She took the bag George had slipped her, the one containing the new tart to be tested on Ron.

Ten minutes later, all six of them were filing into one of the booths. Madam Rosmerta immediately came over to take their orders.

"Butter beer everyone?" asked Harry. "My treat."

Ron clapped him on the back. "Knew it was a great idea to become friends with you."

Hermione shook her head mockingly and folded her hands in her lap. "Harry, Ron, and I have been thinking a lot.. about the DA."

"Oh?" asked Ginny, shifting in her seat.

"Yes," said Hermione. "We'd like to start it up again."

"We really don't need to, you know," said Harry, shrugging. "But it was fun last year."

"I know I felt like James Bond sneaking into the Room of Requirement," said Colin.

Ron, Ginny, and Luna all looked perplexed. "Who?"

"James Bond… Muggle actor," said Colin, blushing. He shook his dirty blonde hair out of his eyes. "Never mind."

"Well, I think it's a good idea," stated Ginny, grinning. "I'm going to need all the practice for my OWLs."

"It's be a great experience for when we have to fight the blazing Heliopaths," said Luna dreamily. "I hear the Ministry has over ten thousand now."

Hermione shook her head and looked disdainfully at Luna. "We should ask everyone who was in the DA if they want to start it back up again."

"But we should still keep it secret," guffawed Ron.

"Yeah," said Harry. "But it should be open to the public."

"And Harry should still be our leader." Hermione added.

"Works for me," replied Ginny.

"And me." Colin said.

"As long as Dad doesn't call me away on search of the Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, I'm there." Luna said.

"Brilliant," said Hermione. "I'll send owls to all the members… this is going to be a lot of fun."

Sighing, Ginny plopped down her large pile of textbooks on the library table. She had four exams coming next Monday, and she had to begin studying for her OWLs. They were only a few months away!

Grabbing The Standard Book of Spells: Grade 5 from the stack, Ginny set out to work. She turned to the right page and began to read.

"The Vanishing Spell is a complex spell involving the use of the mind and body. If the spell is cast correctly, the desired object would vanish. The item would not become invisible, but go away completely. The incantation for the Vanishing Spell is 'Evanesco'."

The fifth years had been working on this spell in Transfiguration. Hermione had told her it was on the OWLs, so she had better get it right. She had tried to make a snail vanish but couldn't succeed. While most of the class was vanishing mice, now, Ginny was still stuck on snails.

Professor McGonagall had given her own snail to practice on. Ginny took it out of her pocket and laid it gently on table. Clutching her wand, Ginny pointed at the snail and muttered, "_Evanesco_!"

Nothing happened.

"Damn it!" cried Ginny, slapping her hand on the table. "Why can't I do this stupid spell?" Growling at the snail, which she had an insane urge to smash, she raised her wand again. "_Evanesco! Evanesco! EVANESCO!"_

Still nothing.

Ginny pulled her knees up to her chest and sighed. This obviously wasn't working. She almost jumped out of her seat when she heard a voice.

"Trouble, Gin?" asked Dean Thomas.

Ginny smiled weakly. She and Dean had dated briefly a few months ago, but they both had decided to cut things off. Dean described kissing her as 'kissing my little sister' and Ginny felt quite the same. The two were still good friends.

"I can't master this Vanishing spell," groaned Ginny. "I need it for the OWLs and plus, we have an exam next Monday."

"I remember this spell," said Dean, turning a chair around and sitting in it backwards. "Neville splinched his rat in half. It's tail kept wiggling in mid air."

Ginny smiled. This was something that Ginny liked about Dean – he always made her laugh. "Yes, well, my _snail_ hasn't even gone across the table." She looked down and sure enough, the snail hadn't moved an inch. She poked it with her wand. "Maybe it's dead." Red sparks flew out of her wand and Ginny hastily stopped.

"What you need…" said Dean. "Is concentration."

"That's easy for you to say – you're a whiz at Transfiguration!" replied Ginny.

"I'm not going to doubt myself," said Dean, grinning. "But I'm seriously serious. You have to imagine the snail vanishing. Come on, do it with me. Close your eyes and imagine the snail and everything going away." He grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I might as well – I've got nothing to lose," said Ginny. Pursing her lips, Ginny closed her eyes. What popped up in her mind wasn't the snail, but the Slytherin Prince himself. Draco Malfoy sneered at her. _Get a grip, Ginny, this is your mind. Don't let a fake Malfoy make you feel inferior_. Ginny squeezed her eyes and slowly, the image of Malfoy's glaring face faded. "I did it!" She cried aloud.

Dean chuckled. "Now, can you do it in reality, Miss Weasley?"

Ginny blushed. She hadn't realized she had said that last part aloud. Shrugging, she nodded. If she could vanish Malfoy, she could vanish a stupid snail. Fingering her wand, Ginny imagined the snail disappearing. "_Evanesco!_" She bit her lip and looked down.

"Congratulations, Gin!" cried Dean. "You did it!"

"I did it!" squealed Ginny, grinning from ear to ear. She jumped up, grabbed Dean, and gave him a huge hug. "Thank you so much, Dean. You're a genius!" She kissed him on the cheek and raced out of the library, books in hand. Running quickly, she didn't notice Dean's glazed expression as he touched his cheek with his hand.

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Please review!

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	2. Mediterranean Ave

"**Chamber of Her Secrets"**

Chapter 2: Mediterreanean Ave

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Author's Note: This is a rewrite of the old verson. In response to reviewers:

**mj2bj1txca** - I decided to rewrite it because I feel that I have become a better writer and the plot was a bit lame... lol yep.

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"Deck the halls with bells of holly, fa la la la la laa la la la la," sang Ginny. There was only a month till Christmas and Ginny had been caught in the holiday craziness. "Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la la la la la." Ginny didn't know why she was jolly, as she had her first detention with Malfoy tonight, but the only person who could hate Christmas was Scrooge, and even he caved in at the end.

"Don we now our gay apparel - mistletoe - fa la la la la la la la la la," Ginny sang to the Fat Lady portrait. The Fat Lady grinned at her, wine glass in hand and opened the portrait for her.

She walked into the Common Room and grinned brightly. The House-Elves had really outdone themselves this year. Wreaths had been hung all around, there was a twinkling, vastly decorated Christmas tree near the tables, and mistletoe had been hung all about the castle.

And Ginny had just gotten caught in one. She glanced at the boy in front of her - a fourth year - and shrugged. This mistletoe had weird rules to them. You couldn't kiss anyone two years below you besides on the cheek. Anyone your age or older unless by 2 years, you had to kiss on the lips. Ginny leaned down and kissed the boy on the cheek, who blushed madly and ran away.

"What the hell?" bellowed Ron, who was slouching in the couch next to Hermione. "What was that, Ginny?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Exactly what it looked like, Ronald."

"Honestly, Ron," Hermione huffed. Ginny felt bad for Hermione. She could easily see that Hermione longed to be stuck underneath the mistletoe with Ron, but he seemed to avoid it whenever she was near.

"You kissed him!" said Ron, ears brightening.

"Yes, Ron, I'm madly in love with that fourth year, whom I don't even know his name. That's why I kissed him! Not because of the mistletoe; never because of the mistletoe! Because I have a thing for younger blokes!" shrieked Ginny.

Ron's cheeks turned red as Hermione reprimanded him. "Really, Ron, it's just the mistletoe. Ginny doesn't want to kiss anyone."

"She better not," muttered Ron under his breath.

Ginny rolled her eyes. Her good Christmasy mood had vanished when Ron had started his tirade. He was so protective of her - he couldn't even take her kissing a fourth year... on the cheek! _He's just looking after me,_ she thought.

"Shut up, dear brother, and tell me what you'd like for Christmas," Ginny said, sitting down in the opposing arm chair. "You too, Hermione."

"You don't have to get me anything," started Hermione, but Ron cut her off.

"Well, there is that new broomstick servicing kitin Quality Quidditch Supplies that I saw," said Ron. "And I do need some Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks so Harry and me can prank the Slytherins, but I also need..."

Ginny stared at Ron. "I'll keep those in mind, Ronnikins," - Ron spluttered at the nickname. - "but for now, I must go to my de- study group for Potions." She didn't want Ron to know she had to serve a detention with Malfoy - he'd flip out even more and kill Malfoy. _Maybe that's not a bad idea..._ Ginny mused.

Shaking her head, Ginny stood up. "Oh, wait, Ron, want a pastry? I knicked it from the Kitchens," she grabbed the pastry Fred and George had given her yesterday from her pocket and opened the baggie it was in.

"Chocolate?" asked Ron.

"Your favorite," winked Ginny.

Ron grabbed the tart from her hand and shoved it into his mouth. "'fanks Gin," he said through a mouthful.

"You'reee welcome," said Ginny. She rocked back and forth as she waited for something to happen. Hermione gave her an odd look but Ginny just smiled at her. Her smile became a laugh as Ron's hair slowly began turning magenta. Ron's confused face was her cue to leave. "Bye Ron! Bye Hermione!" And she sprinted out of the Common Room laughing, hearing Ron's screams from the distance.

Ginny was still in good spirits when she arrived at the Infirmary, where she was serving her detention. She opened the door wide and walked in. It was deserted. Thelamps weren't litand no one was here.

"Hello?" she said loudly.

"You're late," said a voice icily. Ginny turned around, glare already set on her face, and made at face at Draco.

"Not according to my watch," she said, checking it. "8 o'clock on the dot."

"Considering what you probably paid for it, it's most likely busted," Draco retorted. He lita few lamps with his wand."Give me your wand."

Ginny huffed and rummaged through her robe pockets. She pulled out her long, thin wand and shoved it at him. "Be careful with it."

Draco smirked and shoved it in his pocket. He pointed to the pile of bedpans, sink, scrub, and soap next to him. "Get to work."

"There must be atleast three hundred of those things!" gaped Ginny.

"And you have three detentions to do them all. And if you don't, I can certainly give you more so you can finish them," replied Draco.

Ginny glared at him, walking towards a bed. She unbuttoned her robes and laid them on the pure white sheets, leaving herself in only a pair of Muggle jeans and a worn green cableknit sweater. She stalked over to the bedpans and, making as much noise as possible, started working on them.

Draco sat in a chair, watching her as she worked. She felt his gaze on her and the hairs of her neck raised. Goosebumps popped up from her skin and before long, Ginny had gotten so flustered that she had dropped the scrub on the floor.

Sighing dramatically, Ginny bent down to grab the scrub. She didn't seem to notice, but she was giving the Slytherin boy a nice view of her butt.

_A very nice view,_ thought Draco. He couldn't help it. He was a seventeen year old boy with hormones and needs. One didn't get the opportunity to stare at a girl's nice arse every day. He watched as she retrieved herself and started scrubbing the pans again.

_The sweater makes her chest look a bit bigger,_ noted Draco. _It's still not very big, but... there had to be some reason why that Corner in Ravenclaw would go out with her... and Thomas in Gryffindor... and Potter. Potter, Potter, Potter._

He was shaken from his thoughts as the scrub Ginny was just holding flew across the room and hit him squarely in the head.

"Maybe that will teach you it's not polite to stare," said Ginny sweetly.

He stared at her in shock but quickly regained himself. "Excuse me, Weasley? I was not staring. I have better manners than you anyway, you being brought up in that hovel you call a home."

Ginny grabbed the other scrub in the sink and chucked it at him. This time though, Draco was expecting it and he easily caught the scrub before it would smack him in the head.

_He does have good reflexes,_ Ginny thought."You are _such_ an arse!" she shrieked, running her fingers through her hair. She only realized she had soap on her hands after she had wiped it in her hair. Ginny began to grumble as Malfoy openly sneered at her.

"You're a dirt poor blood traitor who has no common sense, proven by the fact that you just wiped **soap** in your hair." replied Draco.

Ginny glared at him. All right, it was a stupid thing to do, running soap through her hair. "I hate you. Give me back my scrub now."

"No," replied Malfoy.

"What?"

"You threw it at me. I'm not just going to give it to you so you can chuck it again," he said.

"If I had my wand, Malfoy..." said Ginny, glaring at him.

"Is that a threat?" Draco chuckled. "You'd want? Duel me? You're fooling yourself, Weasel, you could never win a duel against me."

"I could so!" yelled Ginny defiantly. "I was raised by six brothers, Malfoy, I know how to fight! I could win a duel against you any day!"

"Okay then," said Malfoy. "Let's have a duel."

"Okay!" yelled Ginny. Then, she faltered. "What?"

"Let me put this in plain English, Weasley, so that your tiny brain can hopefully comprehend it," started Draco. "You and me are going to have a duel so that you can prove that you can beat me in a duel."

"W-what?" repeated Ginny.

"Tomorrow? Your place," stated Draco.

"My place?" said Ginny.

"The Chamber," Draco said, as if it was obvious. "Detention's over for today. Sod off, Weasley. Get back to your Common Room before I have to give you another detention."

Ginny gaped at him and shook her head. "I- I don't..." She stopped herself. She didn't want to duel Malfoy, but she had to. She couldn't back down. She had said she could beat him, and she would! "Whatever, Malfoy." She started towards the door and then turned back. "I'll need my wand," she said.

He took her wand out of his pocket and shoved it at her. He opened the door and, when Ginny tried to step through, thinking he was holding the door open for her, he went first and the door closed in Ginny's face. He chuckled as he heard her muffled scream and walked away.

* * *

Review please!

* * *


	3. Baltic Avenue

"**Chamber of Her Secrets"**

Chapter 3: Baltic Avenue

Ginny woke up the next morning from a restless sleep. She couldn't believe that she agreed to duel Malfoy. There were so many details not worked out. Were they having seconds? They obviously weren't fighting to the death. Where was it again? The Chamber. He tricked her into letting him down there again.

She rubbed her eyes and slowly walked to her mirror. Her reflection gasped and said, "You look horrid!" Ginny sneered at the mirror and walked away.

After muttering a few charms, her hair cascaded down her back in flowing curls and her face was makeup free. She pulled on her school uniform and shrugged on her robes before applying a bit of mascara, eyeliner, and lip gloss.

"Better, dear," her reflection said as she passed the mirror again. She grabbed her wand off her night table and began the trip down to the Great Hall.

He bit into his apple and sucked the juices back into his mouth as they dribbled down onto his lips. Draco was an early riser and he had been waiting for the littlest Weasley to arrive for breakfast for the last twenty minutes. _Typical lazy Weasley._ he thought.

He straightened in his seat as he saw the familiar red head walk into the room, groggy and bleary eyed. Deciding it was best to talk to her before her brother came down, Draco got up from the bench and strode over to the girl as she buttered a piece of toast.

"It's too early for you," Ginny muttered. She didn't spare him a glance.

"I suppose eight o'clock would be a good time for you then," he said. It was more of a statement than a question. "I'll meet you in the bathroom at eight o'clock. Just you and me, got it?"

He noticed her posture tense up when he mentioned the duel. Smirking, he snagged her toast as she passed the butter dish down the table and walked away.

"Malfoy!" she yelped, glaring daggers at her.

He shot her a smirk and bit into the toast.

Potions class was a dreadful bore. Now, Draco appreciated the fine arts of potionry like the next person, and he enjoyed seeing his godfather and professor pick on the Gryffindors, but today's lesson was a short review, nothing more, and Draco couldn't stand it.

Blaise, his closest friend and lab partner, elbowed him in the stomach and muttered, "Watch." Draco watched as Blaise muttered a charm and miniature birds flew discreetly to the Gryffindor side of the room and began nesting in Hermione Granger's hair.

"The Mudblood doesn't even notice," snickered Draco.

After about five minutes, though, the Slytherins were cracking up. Hermione kept scratching her head, but didn't seem to notice the birds. Finally, Harry Potter noticed and whispered into the girl's ear. She blushed and muttered "Finite Incantatem" and the birds disappeared. Ron, Harry, and Hermione turned to glare at Draco and Blaise.

"That's a good look for you, Granger," sneered Draco as Snape ordered them to copy the notes on the board and went into his office.

"It's better than your look anyday!" yelled Ron, the tips of his ears becoming red.

"You know whose a real looker, Weasley?" said Blaise. He grinned widely. "Your sister!"

"Whoo!" whooped a Slytherin. "I'd like to get myself some of that arse!"

Draco snickered as Ron's face turned red. Unfortunately, Snape returned at that moment and Ron was unable to retort. Draco busied himself by thinking of Ron's sister. _She does have a nice arse,_ he thought. _And her hair isn't that disgustingly bright red. Actually, it's more of an auburn color. It's kind of nice... if you like that sort of thing._

As the bell rang, Draco realized he had been thinking about Ginny for almost the ten minutes. "What the hell?" he muttered to himself as he left the classroom. As he passed Ron, he sneered and said, "If your sister wasn't such a Mudblood lover, I'd do her." He laughed with Blaise and walked away.

Draco whistled as he strolled down the corridor that night to Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom. He had no doubt that he could beat the Weaselette in a duel. He had been trained from a young age the art of magical duels and was quite confident that the Ginny would be a breeze to beat.

He pushed open the bathroom door and saw that Ginny was waiting for him. She had her back against the wall, eyes closed, and looked to be comtemplating something. Draco took the time to look her over again. Same red hair, same dirty clothes. He was startled when she flicked her eyes open and he gazed at her chocolate colored eyes, as if she knew he was there.

"Finally," she said, put off.

"Eager to lose?" said Draco articulately.

"Are you?" said Ginny.

He watched as she opened the Chamber once again and immediately jumped in. Without a moment's hesitation, he followed her actions and sped down the tunnel. Draco cleaned himself and followed Ginny into the main room. She stopped at the couch and looked up at him.

"So...?"

"Now we duel, Weasley," said Draco.

She nodded and slowly took off her robes. She had a worn pair of jeans on and a light blue sweater on. It looked, amazingly, new.

Draco didn't bother taking his robes off and just stood in the middle of the room. "I assume you're familiar with the formalities of a wizard duel?" he said.

She narrowed her eyes. "Of course."

The bowed to eachother and turned their backs, each taking ten steps the opposite way from eachother. At the tenth step, they both turned around and it was Draco who fired the first spell.

"_Immobolus!" _he yelled.

Ginny stepped back and barely managed to yell, "Protego!" before the spell hit her shield and bounced back.

"_Rictusempra!_" yelled Draco. He watched as Ginny jumped and dodged the charm he had sent her way.

"_Tarantallergra!"_ Ginny said. Draco side stepped her spell easily and yawned for effect. Angered, Ginny yelled out a spell she had heard Harry use once. "_Sectumsempra!"_

She wasn't nearly as powerful as Harry so the spell only made a small gash on his cheek. Draco touched his hand to his face and stared at the blood in awe. He looked up and grinned. "Well, you're better than I thought. _Petrificus Totalus!_"

"_Protego_!" yelled Ginny. She watched as the spell bounced back and Draco dodged his own hex. "_Avis Oppugno_!" Birds appeared out of her wand and started flying towards Draco.

"_Protego_!" yelled Draco and the birds smashed into the shield. "_Serpensortia_!" A green snake flew out of Draco's wand and fell flat on the floor. It began to slither towards Ginny, hissing. Draco watched as the snake grew nearer and nearer towards Ginny and Ginny didn't seem to do anything. She had her wand out, her mouth open, but she was frozen. Her eyes never left the snake that was rapidly advancing on her.

He didn't know why, but he found himself yelling, "Reducio!" and the snake disappeared. Ginny stood straight for a minute, but then seemed to waver. Draco yelled, "Carpe Retractum!" and Ginny flew across the room just as her legs gave way.

Draco held her in his arms and shook her a bit. "Weasley?"

Her eyes opened and she sighed, "You win."

He snorted. "Obviously." He tucked a lock of her red hair behind her ear and watched as her delicate brown eyes admitted defeat. He smirked. "And now for my winning prize..." He bent his head so that he was level with her and captured her lips with his in a gentle, soft kiss.


End file.
